Is artificial urinary sphincter surgery safe and effective in elderly males aged 70 years and above?

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction rate between men aged under and over 70 years who underwent artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) surgery. Methods: A prospective review of all men who received AUS between January 2008 and January 2018 was undertaken with a minimum 24-month review. All patient demographics and surgical outcomes including data on the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire, Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) and National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Frailty Index (NSQIP-FI) scores, as well as patient satisfaction rates, were recorded. Results: Of the 245 AUS implanted, 60 patients were aged ≥70 years with 45 virgin cases and 15 revision AUS. Reduction in mean pad use and weight over 24 hours were significant at 0.21 (0–1) pads and 8 (0–30) g in both groups with no significant difference (P = 0.76). Kaplan–Meier estimates of AUS survival showed no significant difference between men aged ≥ and <70 years at 1 year (98% versus 96%; P = 0.44). The multivariate logistic regression model showed that radiation (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.8, 95% CI 1.4–6.8; P < 0.01) was a significant predictor of AUS revision, while age ≥ 70 years (adjusted OR 1.0, 95% CI 0.8–8.8; P = 0.14) and frailty (NSQIP-FI ≥ 0.27 adjusted OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.2–7.6; P = 0.82) were not. There were no significant differences in PGI-I scores (P = 0.43) and overall satisfaction rate (83% versus 84%; P = 0.44) between the two groups. Conclusions: Men aged ≥70 years reported similar clinical efficacy as men aged <70 years in terms of device survival and satisfaction rates following AUS surgery.